When I say "getting worse" and talk about how terrible it is, here's what I mean. In the 80s/90s, SF was a slum; I agree, which is why my parents moved us out of there as soon as they could afford to, but it made sense since there wasn't the same tech industry that was booming in the South Bay at the time.
In the late 2000s/early 2010s, the economy started to recover, and jobs were popping up all over the Bay, including SF. I worked with/for many of those startups. Neighborhoods started improving and getting cleaner, and there was a good balance.
You know why it's so frustrating? As an accountant for those companies, I saw how much property tax, payroll tax, gross receipts tax, etc. all of these companies had to provide to the city. These startups often paid an extra 30-50K A YEAR compared to if they worked right outside of SF. Where the hell is that money going? Streets are still covered in fiends, homeless, potholes, and human feces.
It's getting worse NOW because the rich people here are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. It's reverting to the old days with people all over the streets pissing and @#$@%@ everywhere with needles all over the place.
You keep mentioning the TLs. I work near Castro, which is nowhere near the TLs. Walk around 18th and Market past 9 PM and tell me what you see there. There's literally 4-5 fiends/homeless on every block, no exaggeration. I can't imagine owning a business here, cause every night/morning I see people camped up in doorways.